1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to movable protective covers and shelters having rigid frames, and particularly to a cantilever cover including a canopy frame and cover movably extendable from a laterally offset hoist assembly. The cantilever cover is particularly well suited for use as a boat cover when secured to the edge of a dock or the like, or may be used as a carport or patio cover, or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
The need to provide protection and shelter for various large articles in the outdoor environment is well known. This need may be even more important now than in the past, with people purchasing ever more valuable boats, automobiles, and other vehicles, which are often stored outdoors due to the lack of indoor storage space, and with increasing concerns about acid rain and other atmospheric pollutants, which can damage articles stored outdoors. Boaters have long recognized this problem, and most boats ranging from small outboard fishing boats to larger yachts are generally fitted with a cover when not in use. Larger boats and yachts would certainly benefit from the protection provided by a suitable cover, but the labor involved in the installation and removal of such a cover on a large boat each time the boat is used makes the use of such a cover impractical.
Accordingly, various powered or mechanized devices for raising and lowering a cover over a boat have been developed in the past. Many such covers are associated with boat lifts or similar devices, or completely enclosed boathouses. However, many boat owners are not so fortunate as to have an enclosed boathouse or other structure for protecting their boat or watercraft, with the watercraft being tied up to an open dock for storage during most of its life. While some covers have been developed for boats and other vehicles with no other protection, such covers are generally supported on both sides, i.e., they are not cantilever structures. This is often not practicable for a boat tied up at a dock or slip, where the opposite side of the boat is exposed to open water. This may also be true for other vehicles, e.g., an automobile, boat trailer and boat, etc., stored adjacent a residence.
Thus, a cantilever cover solving the aforementioned problems is desired.